Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests:

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests

Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 24, 2013 at 3:51 pm

Though parents in some other states are formally “opting out” of high-stakes standardized tests and keeping their children at home on test days, officials in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia say it is not permitted in their jurisdictions.

A movement by parents to opt out of standardized tests and keep their children home on test day — without penalty for the child — has been building in other parts of the country, including California, where it is guaranteed under California Education Code Section 60615:

Notwithstanding any provision of law, a parent’s or guardian’s written request to school officials to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the assessments administered pursuant to this chapter shall be granted

In the past week or so, hundreds of parents in New York have kept their children home

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents:

Citizens of WHAT World? Recruiting tactics and leaked documents

by Leonie Haimson

For more on this issue, see the DNA article here.

Williamsburg and Greenpoint parents have been fighting what we see as a real threat to re-segregate public schools in our neighborhood through Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC), a Los Angeles-based chain of schools imposed upon District 14 as well as District 17 in

Crown Heights.

CWC's Core parent group = "Predominantly white"

From the earliest stages, CWC identified the white, affluent families in Williamsburg (and later, Crown Heights) as the "community stakeholders" who would help them form their proposal. These families, none of whom had school age children, were targeted with private information sessions and invites sent through email lists and members-only listservs.

Now DNAInfo reveals an internal marketing memo that documents how Citizens of the World treats white, affluent families differently

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education:

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan

by Shane Vander Hart

Breaking…. big move in the Michigan House of Representatives! The Michigan House today approved the Department of Education budget (HB4328) on a 59-51 vote with an amendment which does not allow them to implement Common Core State Standards or “Smarter Balanced Assessments”. The amendment was sponsored by State Rep. Tom McMillin, the amendment is similar to House Bill 4276 which is currently before the House Education Committee.

The amendment reads:

Funds appropriated in Part 1 (MDE’s full budget) shall not be used to fund the Common Core State Standards Initiative or Smarter Balanced Assessments. Funds shall not be used to implement programs or student assessments created by the Common Core State Standards Initiative or Smarter Balance Assessments.

It should be noted that Common Core State Standards were never approved by a Michigan Legislature (or any state legislature for that matter). A press release sent by McMillian noted said that “Concerns have been raised

Diane in the Evening 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

You Have Only a Few Hours to Read This Shocking Exposé

by dianerav

When Yasha Levine wrote his extraordinary article about the parent trigger in Adelanto, he was struck by the failure of the media to do any investigative reporting. It seemed that everyone was cheering for the charter promoters.
He wrote this as a follow-up.
Its title: “Et Tu, NPR?”
His thesis: the a billionaires Boys Club has bought up the mainstream media, even NPR.

NYC Mayoral Forum, May 2

by dianerav

Come to PS 29 in NYC to hear the mayoral candidates:
Want to know where the Democratic primary candidates stand on education? Ask!
A forum on the future of public education
in NYC
with Democratic primary mayoral
candidates
Moderated by
Diane Ravitch
Thursday May 2nd
5:30-7:00 pm
PS 29 (425 Henry Street, Brooklyn)
What do 800,000+ New Yorkers have in common?
We are NYC public school parents.
And Parents Ask Questions.
Ask Your Question*
*Submit your question to
questions@parentvoicesny.org.
This event is being organized by ParentVoicesNY
Because we are the parents voting for our
kids’ future.

Mayor Bloomberg Tries Again to Buy the Los Angeles School Board

by dianerav

NYC Mayor Bloomberg just dropped $350,000 into the campaign to beat Monica Ratliff in a runoff for the LA school board.
A few weeks ago, Bloomberg gave $1million to the coalition of billionaires, who assembled a $4 million war chest, mostly to defeat Steve Zimmer.
Bloomberg’s million was enhanced by fat gifts from Rupert Murdoch, Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, and the

John Thompson: Who Will the Billionaires Kick Down Next?

by dianerav

Veteran teacher John Thompson says that it is time for the billionaires to step back and recognize the damage that they are doing to American education. They assume that because they are so successful, they know it all.
Shocked to discover that poverty actually exists, they decided that the best way to save poor kids was to destroy the school system.
___________________
In this thoughtful and provocative essay, Thompson writes:
“So, with the best of intentions, these novices assumed the mantle of “accountability.” Market-driven “reformers” set out to destroy education schools, teachers’ due process, and local systems of governance. These

Hilarious! Cursive Writing: Follow the Money

by dianerav

This is crazy, or is it?
We learned the other day that Texas Instruments is a big promoter of Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement in Texas. Why? Civic spirit, love of education, or the fact that TI supplies most of the graphing calculators needed for Algebra 2?
Now we learn from this report that a company selling cursive writing materials is a major proponent of a law requiring same in North Carolina.
Please do not misunderstand the issue here.
I believe that everyone should learn cursive writing, both to do it and to read it.
But I don’t believe that state legislatures should dictate

NCLB: The Creation of a Mad Dr. Frankenstein?

by dianerav

If you want to know how No Child Left Behind has injured our society’s most vulnerable children, read this heart-breaking story about the sanctions imposed on the Rhode Island School for the Deaf.
Written by a recently retired teacher at the school, it describes how the standardized testing regime struck the children and the school like a sledgehammer, causing it to be labeled Persistently Low Performing.
The story begins:
“I recently participated in the inspiring and informative webinar “How to Organize a Grassroots Group” put on by the Network for Public Education and the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education. I am a retired teacher of the deaf, having retired from the Rhode Island School for the Deaf in the fall of 2011 profoundly dismayed by the unreasonable sanctions placed on the school by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), headed by

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Paul Barton on Common Core Implementation by dianerav Paul Barton, an experienced analyst of trends in American education, has written this piece to emphasize the importance of appropriate implementation of the Common Core standards. He warns that testing should not begin until teachers are prepared, a curriculum is in place and has been taught, and teachers have the materials they need. A Critical Stage for the Common Core The much-anticipated Common Core Sta... more »

UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?:

Common Core Gag Order: Teacher Told to Not to Question Common Core Implementation

by stlgretchen

Teacher not allowed to question CCSS implementation in Wyoming

Following is an amazing story from Truth in American Education and a Wyoming teacher who was threatened by her administrator for questioning the CCSS implementation and ramifications of the standards in terms of privacy and loss of local control.

Please share with other teachers and parents. Where is the "critical thinking" allegedly present in CCSS?

From A Wyoming School's Common Core Gag Order:

I received this email from a 6th grade teacher in Wyoming whose school placed a gag order on her regarding her opposition to the Common Core State Standards. I’m withholding her name to protect her privacy (and career).

I am currently a teacher in a smaller district in Wyoming. I attended a Wyoming

Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?

by stlgretchen

We wrote a story last year about Parkway Schools wanting to use student tracking devices to measure sleep patterns and academic achievement via Polar Go Fit bracelets.

We highlighted a video from the school board where a district employee explains the tracking and the information to be gathered from the data obtained while the students wore them home. The video has now been pulled from the internet and "made private by the owner".

This video is from a school board meeting. Would someone from the Parkway School District contact the superintendent/board members and ask why a video from a public meeting has been pulled from the district website? Aren't the owners of this video the taxpayers?

Here's the link showing the video has been pulled:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120118111401/http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/boe/archive/boe120711.cfm

Here's the rough transcript I typed from the speaker's presentation:

Notes from the video:

Video of the School Board Meeting December 7, 2011

Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:

Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom

Gov. Rick Snyder says education in Michigan — and in the nation — is broken, and badly in need of reform.

We couldn’t agree more.

So, let’s talk about it.

But let’s do so without a “skunk works group” that’s meeting independently and clandestinely to develop a sweeping school reform program. That’s disrespectful of the voters who sent Snyder to Lansing. And it’s disrespectful of the parents, teachers and students who depend on our public education system.

The secret group — which includes the state’s chief information officer; four employees of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, and representatives from software companies and charter schools — has developed a technology-driven “value school” model that cuts the cost of public education by about $2,000 per pupil and would be funded by voucher-like state debit cards.

Lansing attorney Richard McLellan, a staunch voucher advocate, is also part of the group.

So, a group of charter-school employees, technology company

Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum - DailyCensored.com

Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News:

Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum

Years ago, Chick-fil-A used some of its $4.5 billion to claim a Vermont artist’s T-shirt phrase infringes on its trademarked “eat mor chikin.” The corporation told Associated Press, the Vermont T-shirt “is likely to cause confusion of the public and dilutes the distinctiveness of Chick-fil-A’s intellectual property and diminishes its value.”

Got that? Chick-fil-A’s intellectual property. Make no mistake: Chick-fil-A is obsessed by intellectual property. Take a look at their website legal notice.

Think about how much kale is like fried chicken. And then ask yourself: Did Common Core architect David Coleman ever work for Chick-fil-A? His version of teaching is just about as close to classroom reality as, well, Chick-fil-A® Nuggets (pressured-cooked in peanut oil) are to kale.

Does Arne Duncan eat kale?

As the T-shirt maker’s lawyer observed, “At the end of the day, I don’t think anyone will step forward and say they bought an ‘eat more kale’

Maria Puolakkainen – #StuVoice Finland Shares the ‘Characteristics of an Effective Teacher’ Student Voice

Student Voice:

Maria Puolakkainen – #StuVoice Finland Shares the ‘Characteristics of an Effective Teacher’

by Editor Admin

Fair, Dedicated, and Inspiring.
Originally posted to Penn-Finn Learning 2013.
I am a seventeen year-old IB high school student in my penultimate year from Helsinki, Finland. Embodying a kind of bicultural identity, I am a product of two different cultural upbringings, Finnish and American. Having spent a few of my years of elementary school in Seattle, Washington, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of both school environments, and what effect they have had on me as a learner.
I feel honoured to have been invited by the PennFinn13 team to share my ideas and insight on education in Finland and the United States. As a result of pure serendipity on my half, I met the group a few weeks ago when they visited my calculus class on a Wednesday morning. I was able to participate in the Edutopia event held in Helsinki and get accquainted with the issues and points of interest of this project. Joe Mazza and the entire team were so warm to me and encouraged me to join the movement by contributing with a few blog posts. I truly value my school environment; to me it is like a safe harbour where I can feel respected, valued, and relaxed, and

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient'

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient':

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient'

by Joy Resmovits

National Assessment Of Educational Progress Econom

Fewer than half of high school seniors are proficient in economics, according to the results of the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress exam released Wednesday. This statistic is causing alarm among educators and advocates, especially in an era marked by economic crisis.

"I was shocked," said Edward Alvarez, an assistant principal at Thomas A. Edison Technical Education High School in Queens, in New York City. "We're not even proficient in some areas. The breakdown between ethnic groups, between urban and suburban, I was shocked."

Last year marked the second administration of the NAEP economics test, following the first one in 2006, and average performance stagnated. Between 2006 and 2012, the average score increased by two points from 150 to 152 out of 300 -- a change that is not statistically significant, according to the test's administrators. The test was administered by the research arm of the U.S. Education Department, and assessed 11,000 students in 480 public and private schools.

Forty-two percent of students performed at or above proficient, 3 percent performed at advanced, 82 percent performed between basic and proficient, and 18 percent performed below basic. The only real movement was at

Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students

by millerlf

Wisconsin voucher students lag in latest state test

By Erin Richards and Andrea Anderson of the Journal Sentinel

April 23, 2013

Students attending private voucher schools in Milwaukee and Racine scored lower than their public-school counterparts in Milwaukee Public Schools and the Racine Unified School District on the latest state standardized achievement test, according to results released by the state Tuesday.

And scores statewide plummeted – the effect of newly raised benchmarks for determining whether students are

Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High — Whole Child Education

Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High — Whole Child Education:

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High

April 24, 2013 by Marc Cohen

I am a principal. I knew I wanted to become a principal soon after I began my teaching career almost twenty years ago and I count myself as among the fortunate few who can honestly say they are making a living doing what they always dreamed of being able to do. Seven years ago, when I began this phase of my career, a colleague, herself a retired principal, asked me if I understood the difference between being the principal of the school and every other position in the building. I am sure that I gave her some academic response, to which she simply stated, "Always remember, the lives of every student in the building are in your hands." While I imagine she was including the literal safety of my kids in her comment, I am certain that what she really meant was that my success or failure as a leader would have life-changing implications for the quality of the futures my students would live.

To be successful, a principal must have a clearly defined vision. Mine includes the belief that when children enter the schoolhouse, they deserve adults who believe that all things are truly possible. I have an ethical and moral responsibility to create an environment in which staff has the will, skill, knowledge, and capacity to make the seemingly impossible a reality. I often refer to my teachers as magicians, because when they do what they do well, it is a truly magical thing. But when we fail systemically to create that magic for significant

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, April 24, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Education Headlines

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hawthorne schools pilot use of palm scanners to speed lunch lines

The project is happening on a trial basis at Hawthorne Middle and Ramona Elemenary schools, where students - once they reach the front of the lunch line - place a hand on a digital reader in the shape of a palm.

Guevara's hiring in Monterey district on hold

Monterey Peninsula Unified’s decision to hire Lake Elsinore Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Alain Guevara as superintendent there was delayed Monday after dozens of parents and teachers spoke against his hiring at that district's governing board meeting.

New school for homeless to open

More than 25 years after a drop-in center for homeless students opened in San Diego with a single teacher, a gleaming $15 million campus for transient youth will make its debut in downtown’s East Village Wednesday.

Thirty years later, nation remains at educational risk

U.S. students are falling behind their international rivals. Young people aren't adept at new technology. America's economy will suffer if schools don't step up their game.

CSBA’s price of support: $5 billion more

The California School Boards Association has indicated it would back Gov. Jerry Brown’s new funding formula for schools, but only if the governor delivers at least an additional $5 billion to raise the level of spending for all students.

Senate Democrats to propose alternative education plan

Senate Democrats today suggested reservations about major elements of Gov. Jerry Brown's bid to overhaul California's school funding system, saying they will announce an alternative plan this week.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Students will read more nonfiction, but schools won't ignore classics under new standards

Students from kindergarten through high school will soon be reading more nonfiction — biographies, speeches, even a government publication on insulation — under new national standards that are changing what and how children learn.

School budgets looking better

Three local school districts that risked being unable to pay their long-term expenses — Calaveras Unified School District, Sonora Union High School District and Curtis Creek School District — are on more solid footing than they were last year.

School district unification forum draws a crowd

The discussion was narrowed to unification of the four largest school districts in Salinas — Alisal Union, Salinas City, Santa Rita Union and Salinas Union High School.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oversight of Teaching and Learning

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oversight of Teaching and Learning:

Oversight of Teaching and Learning

by Charlie Mas

This afternoon we will finally get a management oversight work session for teaching and learning, you know, the school district's core mission.

Here is the presentation that will be made to the Board.

Here are some questions that the presentations makes me want to ask:

Slide 1: Why is this Part 1? How many parts will there be? What is included in each part?

Slide 3: The Slide is titled Department Functions but the divisions and groupings are odd. They are not by function. Why, for example, are Native American programs and Advanced Learning grouped with assessment and professional development? How are these part of a single function? Why are international education and ELL grouped together? Where would MTSS fit in this graphic? Isn't MTSS

You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 | InterACT

You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 | InterACT:

You, Me, and AGT – Part 2

by Lisa Alva Wood

Last week, my classroom children took the California Standards Test. This is about as thrilling as walking the plank during Shark Week.

In February, John Deasy announced that he wants 30% of my evaluation based on these test scores. And then, later in the same week, came an email from my principal asking for my Stull Initial Planning Sheet.

Now, I don’t mind being evaluated and I like that being next door to my principal’s office means that he’s always in and out. I like that he was a fellow teacher right there with me a few years ago and that he’s very, very close to the challenges of teaching and learning. There’s trust.

I believe that measurement should be part of the job I do, and that I should be able to show some kind of proof that my children are learning. So I don’t get it when people get all upset about data. I am mystified when a colleague claims that teaching is an art that cannot possibly be measured and so we shouldn’t use any data at all in evaluation. It’s complicated. (Here’s a 14-minute video of Linda Darling-Hammond explaining all the factors that go into teacher effectiveness, just for a refresher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe76cUWIqBY. It turns out that student attendance is just as big a factor as a teacher’s “value-added” value.)

Popout

However, folks can’t go around declaring a jihad on testing, or teachers, or evaluation or anything at all, unless

Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings « CBS Chicago

Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings « CBS Chicago:

Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings

UPDATED: 4/24/2013 10:50 a.m.

CHICAGO (CBS) — They are supposed to be taking a mandatory state test today, but about 100 CPS students instead were protesting school closings outside Wednesday’s school board meeting.

They are upset over planned school closings, but it will come at the expense of some of their own academic careers.

Students on Wednesday are required to take a state PSAE exam that will promote them to senior year and make them eligible to graduate.

CBS 2′s Susanna Song reports, students said six buses picked them up from the respective high schools and dropped them off at CPS headquarters for the protest.

Organizers said community groups paid for the service.

Since CPS announced it will close 53 schools, parents and students have held protests across the city.

On Wednesday morning the group blocked the sidewalk outside CPS headquarters in the Loop and chanted: “Education is our right; we